WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue's three-year starting point guard is headed out the door next spring.

Boilermakers coach Matt Painter and staff are busy trying to find another floor general to come in behind P.J. Thompson. Point guard is a big emphasis in a potentially large 2018 recruiting class.

Purdue's coaches are looking at other talent as well — more size and another wing would help round out the class. Yet they're also looking for specific intangibles at point guard, which happens to be the position Painter played for the Boilermakers from 1990-93 under Gene Keady.

"Generally speaking, you want that guy who's a coach on the floor," Painter said.

"Recruiting in general, you're trying to get a good guy, good player, good student. If you can check the boxes on those three things at that position, it is so valuable, because now those guys make everybody else so much more valuable."

Purdue's known targets in the 2018 class are spread across the country, from McCutcheon's Robert Phinisee and Tindley's Eric Hunter locally to Reserve, Louisiana's Jared Butler to Midwest City, Oklahoma's Keyshawn Embery.

A year from now, one of them or some other recruit will endure the same summer proving ground as current freshman point guard Nojel Eastern. When asked what assets will help that person the most, current Boilermakers don't mention agility or court vision or even Purdue-branded lock-down defense.

Humility and work ethic were more commonly cited as attributes which will correlate to success.

"Everyone's the man in high school," Thompson said. "Most people average 20-something coming in here. You're the best player on your team. You never came out of the game. But you're going to have your ups and downs in college and I think it's made me a better player and a better person."

Purdue sophomore Carsen Edwards was recruited as a scoring-minded point guard. It's a role he can still play — as evidenced over the summer with Team USA's U19 World Cup team.

The Texan said he learned two important lessons for point guards during his first college season. The first: take care of your own business so your words carry more weight. The second: mental strength may be more important than physical prowess.

"The main thing is there's going to be ups and downs," Edwards said. "It really depends on how you handle it when you're down. That's what I'd tell them is to keep fighting, keep pushing, keep going.

"There's going to be tough spots, but that's where you learn the most. After that, everything else will come."

Thompson has provided a pretty solid prototype for future Boilermaker point guards. He's posted the top two assists-to-turnover ratio seasons in program history. Last season he topped 40 percent from 3-point range.

Aware of his vertical limitations, Thompson worked to emphasize speed and strength. Cognizant of the talent around him, the Indianapolis native knew his chief offensive goal each night was to serve as a stabilizing catalyst for future NBA big men and prolific perimeter shooters.

Thompson said he learned those lessons during the recruiting process, knowing he'd often be overlooked by major programs as a sub-6 footer. Once he arrived, he had to survive.

"I knew I had to take care of the ball, had to make the right decisions, because if I didn't they could just go get another point guard the next year and recruit over me," Thompson said.

It's worth noting a couple of the above-mentioned prospects — notably Hunter and Embery — may not exclusively play the point. Perhaps not coincidentally, while discussing his point guard preferences, Painter name-checked other Boilermakers who enhanced their teams' cohesiveness.

People wanted Chris Kramer to shoot more, but he went with the flow alongside three NBA talents. Same for Keaton Grant, and both he and Kramer went on to long professional careers overseas without pouring in points in college.

Painter is looking for players of a similar mindset as he searches for his next point guard.

"It's like a quarterback in football," Painter said. "They've got their hands on the ball the most. They make the most decisions.

"It helps you if that guy can come through the door already understanding the game and understanding his value to the team and being selfless."